i accidentally mixed up no boil lasagna noodles together with the boil kind. should I bake it right away or wait, b/c some noodles are really mushy?

This is for Christmas dinner. I usually bake it on Christmas, but will that make the problem worse? If I bake it today, do I do it full or part of the way? And what is the best way to reheat it if I baked it today? Thank you!

Kate Moore
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4 Comments

Kate M. December 23, 2015
Yes, we will have other food ready if necessary. I was just looking to see what we could do to stop it from getting worse. We took your advice and are baking them now. We'll see tomorrow what we are working with. Thank you very much for all your time and advice. Happy holidays!
 
Nancy December 23, 2015
This is a low-worry problem, as - in fact - all lasagna noodles are or could be no boil.
What you need to think out is whether the recipe was designed for traditional boil-and-drain or non-traditional mix-and-bake-all-at-once.
If it was a traditional recipe, there will be less liquid overall and you will need to increase it somewhat in order to make the noodles cook thoroughly.
If it was a throw it all together and bake recipe, you may need to cook it a bit longer than specified in order to have the greater amount of liquid absorbed and merged with other ingredients to make a nice gooey cheesy casserole.
Either way, I'd bake it now (without topping, if you have that choice) to about 3/4 the time and refrigerate for the interval until needed.
This way, whatever recipe you are using, you won't have to spend time watching and calibrating it on Christmas Day (a watched casserole never boils?). Also, the time in the refrigerator (max 48 hours) between 1st cooking and final cooking/serving will help the flavors come together and the liquids absorb.
On the day, bring it to room temperature (or at least have it out of fridge for an hour), add whatever topping you planned...breadcrumbs, more grated cheese etc, and bake it the last 1/4 time. Check for taste, texture and doneness. Bake more as needed.
If you're worried about mushy noodles, use less liquid to start, check during baking and add more as needed (either in the first baking or the second).
 
Kate M. December 23, 2015
Some of the noodles are already mushy. We usually place the noodles in a baking dish and cover with boiling water for 20 minutes, then dry and layer. Some were really a weird texture, and after layering we noticed the 2 different boxes. I guess we should just bake it like you said for 3/4 time, refrigerate until Christmas and bring it to room temp and bake again. And hope for the best.
 
Nancy December 23, 2015
Sorry about the already mushy noodles. If you bake now and let it sit in the fridge 2 days, you can gauge how good (or not) it's turning out. If terrible, maybe give up on it.
there is the economics concept of "sunk costs" may come in. If a project or enterprise is definitely failing, investing more won't help you recover the money or time you've already spent.
Do you have anything in the house or easily accessible before the shops close to replace the lasagna?
 
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